Chapter 19 Bloodstained Camellias Gu Xi didn't answer, but her eyes...
She still couldn't figure out what Xiao Heng's intentions were towards her.
Was it just a passing whim or was there another motive?
He has yet to mention the things she deliberately concealed, such as her musical skills, or the fact that she doesn't believe he wouldn't be able to tell after she lifted her veil tonight.
His behavior all along made it seem as if he had known all along.
But how did he know, and when did he find out?
These mysteries wove themselves into her mind like a net, making her both eager and afraid to know the answers.
However, since he didn't ask, she didn't intend to explain either. It seemed that as long as they didn't expose the truth, their relationship could remain as it was, neither advancing nor retreating.
Gu Xi was lost in her own thoughts until Xiao Heng's voice brought her back to reality.
"I have important matters to attend to tonight, so I will not stay any longer."
Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
This was also her concern: if Xiao Heng were to stay overnight, how would she manage?
She still didn't know how to face him.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off..."
"I will come again tomorrow."
Before Gu Xi could even feel happy, Xiao Heng left after saying a few words.
Zhao Fuquan quickly followed.
Before leaving, Zhao Fuquan turned back and glanced at Gu Xi, who was standing there in a daze. He couldn't help but recall the time two months ago when Consort Wan slapped Gu Xi in the Imperial Garden.
At that time, Gu Xi was still a candidate for the imperial concubine in Chuxiu Garden. That day, the emperor suddenly rushed to the Imperial Garden. Although he did not know why, he hurriedly followed.
That was the first time in all the years he had served the Emperor that he had seen a look of "nervousness" on his face.
When he arrived at the Imperial Garden, he learned that some concubines had privately punished the young ladies-in-waiting. It should be noted that apart from the Emperor and the Noble Consort who held the Phoenix Seal, anyone else who privately carried out such punishments was violating palace rules.
As expected, the emperor was furious when he found out.
But he soon discovered that the Emperor's anger this time was different from the past; he seemed to treat this young lady of the Chuxiu Garden differently.
Although the emperor tried his best to hide it in front of others, he still saw through it.
On the way back to the Qianqing Palace that day, while observing the emperor's expression, he cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, the Persian Kingdom sent us a tissue-regenerating ointment last month, which is said to have miraculous effects on removing necrotic tissue and promoting tissue regeneration. Should we send it to the young lady of the Chuxiu Garden?"
"No need," the emperor, sitting on his palanquin, immediately refused.
Zhao Fuquan thought he had guessed wrong.
But after a short while, the Emperor seemed to have figured something out and suddenly said, "Handle things efficiently, and don't let her know."
He immediately understood and quickly got the matter done. He passed the ointment through several eunuchs to Granny Kong, saying that Scholar Gu had sent it after hearing about his daughter's injury, and gave Granny Kong some money as a reward.
No one knew that the muscle-regenerating ointment was the Emperor's order.
It's not unusual for the Emperor to be kind to someone, but to be kind to her without her knowing, or allowing anyone else to know, is quite extraordinary. Having lived in the palace for most of his life, he naturally understood the Emperor's considerations in this matter.
From then on, he knew that Consort Gu Xi of Chuxiu Garden held an extraordinary position in His Majesty's heart.
So when he learned that Consort Wan was making things difficult for Gu Xi, he immediately went to the Imperial Study to report to the Emperor.
To his surprise, the emperor, upon hearing the news, abandoned all the officials and rushed to the Imperial Garden without saying a word.
You must know that he has served the emperor for so many years and knows how much the emperor values state affairs. Since ascending the throne, the emperor has never neglected state affairs for any reason, let alone abandon a group of officials who are discussing matters like this.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that perhaps Consort Gu's position in the Emperor's heart was even more important than he had imagined.
However, there was one thing he didn't understand. The Emperor had clearly intended to keep his feelings for Consort Gu a secret, but today he had made such a big fuss in the Imperial Garden. He didn't know how to end this.
*
The next day.
Gu Xi got up early in the morning.
The spring sunshine was very warm and gentle, shining through the window onto her face, making her feel comfortable and cozy.
She got up from the bed and sat in front of the bronze mirror. The injury on her face was not as painful as it had been yesterday, and the swelling had subsided a lot, but a faint red mark was still visible on her face.
Fortunately, the Imperial Concubine was still at Wanfo Temple and had not returned to the palace today, so she did not need to go to Xianfu Palace, saving others from seeing the injury on her face and having to go through the trouble of explaining it.
Gu Xi didn't plan to go out today. After tidying herself up, she went to the courtyard to tend to the medicinal herbs and flowers.
Have you heard?
Gu Xi had just pinched off the tips of the newly sprouted side shoots of the camellia when she heard the whispers of palace maids outside the walls of Weiyang Palace. "Consort Wan angered the Emperor for some reason and was banished to the Cold Palace. And... and I also heard that she was slapped more than thirty times and had her face slashed more than a dozen times. Her face is ruined. After she woke up, she was trying to kill herself, and she almost died..." the maid outside the wall said in a low voice.
Suicide attempt? Gu Xi's heart skipped a beat!
"Is that true? But I heard before that the Emperor dotes on her very much, how come...?"
"It's true! Not only that, I've also heard that Consort Du and Noble Lady Qin, who were close to her, were also flogged and are now bedridden. It seems the Emperor is truly angry this time..."
"Do you know why?" another palace maid asked curiously.
"I don't know either. Xiao Shunzi next door went to inquire, but he couldn't find out the reason either... He even got a scolding from Steward Zhao, who ordered that no one in the palace should inquire about this matter anymore. Don't tell anyone..."
"I promise I won't tell..."
"If you ask me, it's only a matter of time. Consort Wan's personality has offended countless people. You have no idea, she doesn't even respect the Imperial Concubine. The Emperor may have already grown tired of her..."
The two palace maids slowly walked away, and Gu Xi could no longer hear what they said afterward.
"Your Majesty?"
Gu Xi turned around and found Cai Lian standing behind her, looking at her with concern.
"Your Highness, why are you up so early today?" Cailian asked as she draped a thin cloak over Gu Xi's shoulders.
Gu Xi pulled her cloak tighter around herself. It was already springtime, so why did she feel so cold?
“Cailian,” Gu Xi suddenly spoke, “how is Consort Wan now?”
"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to take good care of your health. Don't worry about those unimportant things," Cailian said. Chief Steward Zhao had specifically instructed her not to mention Consort Wan's matter in front of Your Majesty, otherwise it would incur the Emperor's wrath.
"Cailian, is Consort Wan really disfigured as they say?"
Cailian hummed in agreement, not wanting to say much more.
"They also said she committed suicide... Was she saved?"
"I heard that she was rescued."
"good."
It's good that they've been saved.
She was not a saint, and he could not forgive Consort Wan for what she had done to her and Zhuyin. However, as a woman himself, he knew what appearance meant to a woman, and how terrible a punishment disfigurement was.
Although Consort Wan was hateful, she did not deserve this. Gu Xi could not imagine how much pain she was in right now, especially since she was hurt by the person she loved.
Perhaps in Consort Wan's eyes, she should be the one who is hated, the man who once showered her with love and affection, who has now hurt her so much for another woman.
"Oh, Your Highness, your finger!" Cailian suddenly exclaimed.
Gu Xi looked down and realized that she had accidentally broken off a camellia branch sometime during the day. The branch had pricked her finger, and blood was gushing out. The originally snow-white camellia next to her was now stained with a few shocking spots of red.
Cailian quickly took out a handkerchief to bandage Gu Xi's wound.
Just as Cailian finished bandaging her wound, Zhao Fuquan's shrill voice suddenly came from outside the door to report.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Xiao Heng saw Gu Xi as soon as he entered and strode towards her. He was wearing a dragon robe and his hair was neatly combed, presumably preparing to go to court, but the Golden Palace was not in this direction.
He seemed to be in a good mood today, with a rare faint smile on his face.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"I have said that there is no need for these empty formalities."
Xiao Heng reached out to help Gu Xi up, but before his fingertips even touched her sleeve, Gu Xi instinctively took a step back.
Xiao Heng's hand froze in mid-air, the smile on his face instantly faded, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and then he turned and strode towards the interior of Weiyang Palace.
Urged on by Cailian, Gu Xi followed.
Back inside, Gu Xi saw that Zhao Fuquan had prepared a table full of food, with Zhu Yin helping to organize it.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Xiao Heng sat down directly.
Gu Xi shook her head.
"Perfect timing, have something to eat with me."
Gu Xi pursed her lips, walked around the seat next to Xiao Heng, and deliberately chose a seat that was farther away.
Xiao Heng looked up and his hands, which were originally resting on his knees, suddenly tightened, and the air pressure around him instantly dropped a few degrees.
He stopped looking at her, casually ate a few mouthfuls of porridge, and then, seeing that Gu Xi was still motionless, staring blankly ahead, he frowned and asked, "Not to your liking?"
Gu Xi was still thinking about Consort Wan.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that Consort Wan's facial injury can be healed?" Gu Xi couldn't help but ask.
Xiao Heng paused for a moment, then said, "Let's eat first."
"I have a bottle of muscle-regenerating ointment that is very effective in healing external injuries. Could you please send it to Consort Wan?" Gu Xi continued to ask, her eyes filled with hope.
Xiao Heng didn't answer, but patiently said, "Listen to me, eat your food first."
Gu Xi pursed her lips in disappointment, picked up a piece of white pastry, and inadvertently revealed her bandaged hand as she raised it.
"What happened to your hand?" Xiao Heng asked, his brows furrowed.
Gu Xi quickly withdrew her hand and replied, "I was accidentally pricked by a branch, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Her tone was indifferent, with a deliberate sense of distance.
Xiao Heng put down his chopsticks and was about to reach out to check Gu Xi's wound.
Gu Xi instinctively flinched.
Xiao Heng's face instantly turned cold.
"Are you afraid of me?" Xiao Heng's voice suddenly turned cold, the veins on the back of his hand bulging from the force, his gaze fixed on her intently.
Gu Xi's body stiffened abruptly, and her shoulders trembled slightly involuntarily.
"Answer me," Xiao Heng asked, enunciating each word clearly, his voice like thunder before a storm.
Gu Xi was startled by Xiao Heng's appearance. She suddenly stood up to apologize, but due to the large movement, she accidentally knocked over the chair with a loud crash. Looking at the fallen chair, her fear intensified.
Looking at Xiao Heng, who was on the verge of exploding with anger, she disregarded everything and immediately knelt down on the ground: "Please... please forgive me, Your Majesty." Her body was tense, her head was lowered, and she dared not look at him. Her voice trembled slightly with fear.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yin and the others quickly knelt down as well.
Xiao Heng slammed down his chopsticks, stood up, walked over to Gu Xi, and grabbed her in a fit of rage.
Gu Xi lost her balance and fell into Xiao Heng's arms, but her hands still held tightly against his chest.
"Who told you all this?" Xiao Heng asked, emphasizing each word.
Gu Xi didn't answer, but her eyes stared at Xiao Heng like a startled rabbit, as if she was about to run away at any moment.
Her gaze stung him. Receiving no answer, Xiao Heng turned to the crowd kneeling on the ground and asked again, "Who exactly told her all this?"
"Please forgive us, Your Majesty..." Zhu Yin and Hua Yue were so frightened that they prostrated themselves on the spot. They didn't know who had told Gu Xi.
"Your Majesty, this servant..."
Seeing that Cailian was about to admit it, Gu Xi quickly interrupted her, saying incoherently, "Your Majesty, no one told me; I found out on my own."
Xiao Heng sneered: "If no one told you, how did you know?!"
"Speak!" Xiao Heng commanded.
"It was this servant...it was Your Highness..." Cailian was so frightened that she couldn't speak coherently. It took her a while to get her words out: "Someone was talking outside this morning. Your Highness was in the courtyard...and overheard it by accident." Cailian finished speaking, trembling.
"Zhao Fuquan"
"This servant is here..." Zhao Fuquan replied tremblingly. He hadn't seen His Majesty so angry in a long time. He even felt that His Majesty was more terrifying than when he punished Consort Wan yesterday. He couldn't help but curse all those gossiping people in his heart.
He had already warned them, so why did they have to come to Consort Gu's place of all places!
"Investigate for me, let me see which fool is this!" Xiao Heng's voice wasn't loud, but his words were as terrifying as a demon's.
"Yes, sir," Zhao Fuquan replied quickly.
"Your Majesty!" Gu Xi exclaimed in alarm, "What are you going to do to them? They just said a few words casually..."
"You're so afraid of me just because I said a few words casually?" Xiao Heng said coldly. "I'm not going to do anything, I'm just going to teach them a lesson."
"Your Majesty!" Gu Xi exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "It's my fault...it's my fault. I shouldn't have heard it. Please don't blame them, okay?" Gu Xi pleaded.
Seeing her panicked and pleading expression, Xiao Heng couldn't help but pull her into his arms. His arms tightened, but the person in his arms trembled even more violently, as if she were a raging beast.
After a long pause, Xiao Heng uttered a single word, "Good," but his voice was devoid of warmth, and his eyes were terrifyingly sinister.
A note from the author:
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The male lead is starting to go crazy [evil grin]
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